(Pic: The Boy Majors - Book now for Night &
Day on June 5th)....BOOK NOW....

GIG ANNOUNCEMENTS JUST IN...* Alabama 3 play Manchester Academy 2 on 21st September - one of the
best live acts around in the past 10 years so make sure you're there
* Underrated and undervalued, Maximo Park can still play venues the
size of The Apollo on 6th October
* The Fray are total shite but Pete Yorn supports them on November
1st at The Apollo and he's well worth the entrance fee alone
* Slaughter & The Dogs play Academy 3 on 2nd November...will Mozzer
be there to watch one of his old favourite punk band
* Once a band for geeks and the meek, The Proclaimers career has been
given a boost by Peter Kay and Comic Relief. They play Manchester Apollo
on 2nd November
* We saw Mika at Preston One Big Weekend and although his songs are
great as a performer he's a 2nd rate Jake Shears. He plays the Apollo on
19th November
* Babyshambles will struggle to fill the Arena so expect this to be
cancelled or a half full show. He plays manchester on 22nd November

* Kings Of Leon play Manchester Central (G Mex) on December 9th which
is probably much better than Snow Patrol playing there but not really up
there with Mozzer

ONGOING- FREE GIGS EVERY THURSDAYIf you were to believe what you read in the Manchester Music Press
you'd think that Manchester's borders ended at the trendy district of Chorlton
and that any further out of the city centre was devoid of Culture. Take
your mind back just a few years and you'll find that Joy Division used
to play gigs in Altrincham, Doves came from Timperley or that members of
the Smiths and Oasis have all lived in South Manchester at one point

Designer Magazine and Bar Amp plan to add to that rich cultural
history with the launch of Club Designer Magazine each Thursday
Night where we'll be providing Free Gigs from the best of Manchester's
Unsigned scene. In the first 6 months of Bar Amp opening the likes of Proud
Mary have played rammed gigs there and up and coming bands such as The
Words and Red Sea have gone on to play high profile support slots at venues
such as Academy 2.

Get to Bar Amp each Thursday for 8pm to see at least 3 bands each week
for free....or before 8pm if you want to take advantage of some great drinks
offers (and trust us this is quality bottled beer - not the dodgy stuff
you get in other venues) and then stay to the early hours as after the
bands DJs play the finest in alternative music till 2am. So free
music, cheap beer - what you waiting for - check the listings below!!!

This months highlights include The Vortex on March 1st and Harrington
on March 15th but every week is a blast

1ST JUNEAll Ages Events are all the rage in London at the moment, but Manchester
is quickly catching on with a number of events for the summer aimed specifically
at Under 18s. Perhaps the one thats been attracting most attention is the
Ultimate All Ages Gig @ Bar Amp which has received national coverage
in the Telegraph and Independent On Sunday already. Headlined by local
Manchester punk band El Policia who last played a soldout event
at Bar Amp and are attracting major label attention from the likes of Columbia
Records with support from Little Engine, Kid 4077 (debut solo show from
Nile Marr) and The Sidelines close to 200 tickets have been sold already
with more just been released as the organisers have upgraded to a bigger
room at Amp

3RD JUNEBurnt to the Ground (Burn Baby Burn, Disco Inferno),is an impromptu
live music event in the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square – Manchester’s
positive reaction to the devastation of the Dale Street fire.

Manchester events agency, Ear the to the Ground, is helping to organise
the 5000 capacity street party which features Manchester’s creative talent
at its finest – combining music and art to bring the community together
to dance in the face of adversity.

More than just a music event, Burnt to the Ground will provide a collective
space for creatives and businesses in the Northern Quarter to trade, perform
and generally show off the diversity of their talents. Dj’s will play from
fire engines with live acts on a purpose built, fire themed stage in the
heart of the Northern Quarter. In addition there will also be a strong
presence from the fire brigade who will have two crews and two engines
within the arena.

As demonstrated by this event, Manchester’s Northern Quarter houses
the core of the city’s creative industry; the businesses that ensure that
Manchester is firmly on the map as one of the most important cultural hubs
in the UK.

Steve Smith, Director of Ear to the Ground, one of the businesses affected
by the fire and organiser of the Burnt to the Ground comments: “Our insurance
covers the damage but the cost to the company in terms of disruption is
massive. We just thought the best response was to do what this city does
best. Have a party.”

All proceeds from the event will be given directly to charity and distributed
among local businesses that have suffered.. One of the recipients will
be the Manchester Fire Service that dispatched more than 120 fire fighters
to fight the blaze

Artists confirmed so far include Polytechnic, Arthur Brown, Mr Scruff and
many more

4TH JUNEOur geography's always been shit. Really f**king shit. But rock music
always seemed it make it easier than the average GCSE exam by having that
rule that all great modern rock bands should come from Wales. Lostprophets.
Check. Funeral For A Friend. Check. Bullet For My Valentine. Check. Thanks
to Gallows they've messed up that theory by actually coming from
Hertfordshire, which we're sure is an equally interesting place as Lowestoft
was to the Darkness, but this time the rock music is a very different beast
with no scenester haircuts allowed and the moment a melody shows it face
it gets beaten into Black metal submission.

Gallows play Manchester Virgin Megastore in the Arndale at 5.30pm
and as always its a wristband event so look instore for details

8TH JUNEJoe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten - Temple once again proves
his mettle at (punk) rock docs with this biography of The Clash's legendary
frontman. Combining an amazing range of archival footage, sound recordings
and photos with offbeat interviews with Bono, Scorsese, Johnny Depp, John
Cusack and most of the other members of The Clash, this is a fond and illuminating
tribute to a passionate musician and influential activist. Watch this at
the Cornerhouse in Manchester but note its only on show for 3 days

11TH JUNEOf the last Maximo Park show in Manchester we said "Paul Smith
has lost none of energy in the band's brief hiatus and matched the pace
of the new material throughout the set, though this energy perhaps hides
the fact that much of the new material is bordering on unremarkable". Its
perhaps true but at an instore at Manchester's Virgin Megastore
you get the chance to witness the band in action for free before they play
the Apollo later this year

12TH JUNEThe Holloways are one of those bands that have been cruelly
overlooked by the media in the last few months. Sure they may get a paragraph
or short review here and there, but the band are really deserving of more
than just an afterthought. "Generator", one of those classic singles has
been re-released and to celebrate they stop off at HMV on Market
Street for an instore performance and signing. Make sure you're there early
as the show starts off at 5pm

16TH JULYMorrissey once called them spare parts of a lawnmover, but Designer
Magazine thinks they were pretty damn essential to the Smith. Mike Joyce
and Andy Rourke come together at HMV Manchester to sign copies
of the the DVD Movie "Inside The Smiths" which for once rather than speculation
from outsides actually gives an inside account of one of Manchesters favourite
bands. The signing starts at 5pm

28TH JULYThe Manchester Megamela is probably one of the most vibrant
festivals this city has, so go down to Platt Fields in Rusholme for a weekend
of fun. A celebration of Asian arts and culture with music, entertainment
and performances from locally and internationally renowned artists, food
and fashion, stalls and much more.

GIGS - VARIOUS DATES

Designer Magazine has selected our recommended gigs for
the month. For full gig listings and ticket purchases check outwww.ticketline.co.uk
for availability

The Roadhouse ManchesterKids In Glass Houses (21st June), Under The Influence
Of Giants (22nd)

(Pic: The Otters)
UNSIGNED BAND SPOTLIGHT

Each night in Manchester there's a great selection
of unsigned bands playing venues such as Night & Day or The Roadhouse
or being promoted by the likes of High Voltage, Blowout, VMan Events or
our own Designer Magazine monthly nights. How do you decide which ones
to go to? The Designer Magazine unsigned band spotlight which gives you
the bands in a quick spurt of name, venue and who they sound like so you
can click and listen away

Kid 4077 @ Bar Amp - June 1stManchester has seen many bands that have had the media fawning over
them before they've got out of the starting blocks, The Ting Tings (mentioned
below) being a prime example. Few however have had the sort of attention
that Kid 4077 have attracted with full page spreads in both The Telegraph
and Independent on Sunday, airplay on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and
patronage from the likes of Paolo Nutini and members of Paul Wellers band.

Once a band effort, this debut solo show of Nile Marr, marks a step
forward for Kid 4077 where goes on a solo troubadour route. The gig is
part of an all ages show with headliners El Policia already attracting
label attention from the likes of Columbia and Epitaph...along with Little
Engine and The Sidelines both of who are regulars and firm faves on the
Manchester scene this is a not to be missed gig

THE BOY MAJORS @ Night & Day - June 5thLike El Policia, The Boy Majors are one of a number of bands in South
Manchester that are currently attracting attention from a number of labels.
Its easy to see why. The debut Boy Majors gig Clint Boon booked them in
immediately for a session on XFM, their last gig for Designer Magazine
saw 400 people rammed in the venue with a hundred more queueing outside,
a debut gig in London saw 3 of the major labels watch them play to another
packed out audience of 200 people and later in the year Danny McNamara's
booked them for his Aftershow gigs at Sankeys Soap.

With support from the hotly tipped Carlis Star this is perhaps the hottest
ticket in town right now so make sure you buy early to avoid disappointment
www.myspace.com/theboymajors

THE TING TINGS @ Night & Day - June 7thIn truth Designer Magazine is a little bemused about the whole Ting
Tings media scrum at the moment. Not because they dont deserve it, cos
there one of the few bands in Manchester that genuinely deserve the buzz
about them, but more for the fact that those who ignored Katie and Jules'
previous band Dear Eskiimo are now having to do a U-Turn and pretend they
really did love Eskiimo afterall.

Cool electro shimmery pop is the order of the day and with Switchflicker
Records behind them (the same people who brough us Chloe Poem's "The Queen
Sucks Nazi Cock") this debut release will keep a cult status before they
inevitably sign to a major and as predicted become international stars.

Even though The Maple State (another band that people ignored before
having to pretend they liked all along) are the headliners at this gig
you imagine a large number of people will be there for the support act

THE OTTERS - June 28th @ Bar AmpIntense and dramatic no wave punk rock from Welwyn Garden City, featuring
Mark Astronaut of semi legendary anarcho punk outfit The Astronauts. People
love Otters- they're cute, cuddly and friendly, but The Otters are the
antithesis of our cute furry friend. The Otters live gigs are unmissable;
a fusion of chaos, violence, dancing, sing-a-long songs, noise, fluffy
hair, furious drumming, thumping basslines, shredding guitar riffs, singing,
screaming, and raw power. Juxtaposing dark tales of modern day suburbia
with real, honest music that refuses to be pigeonholed,

The Otters continue to leap from strength to strength, supporting the
likes of up and comers such as The Holloways, The Chalets, Stuffy &
The Fuses, as well as earlier bands such as P.A.I.N and Clayson & The
Argonauts. Dubbed as the 'anti Orson' and 'everything that's right about
music', The Otters don't exist to be cool, to get laid, to get drunk, to
be famous or to conform to order; The Otters exist to challenge all that.
Join in or f*ck off

RYAN LAMEY - July 1st @ CentroJust as we were getting bored of male singer-songwriters in Manchester
along comes Ryan Lamey who single handedly makes the careers of Stephen
Fretwell and Liam Frost pretty redundant. Born and raised in Canada he
only recently moved over to Manchester (he calls himself a Mancunadian)
his style is reminiscent of Rufus Wainwright and Jeff Buckley only filtered
through a huge pop filter. We're hoping that Ryan will duet with Karima
Francis for a few tracks as these two really are the only singer songwriters
you should be listening to at the moment

Each month Designer Magazine selects what we consider
to be the cream of the crop in the world of music, theatre, comedy, cinema
and the arts. This is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of every
event in the City, but an editorial selection of the monthly highlights.

If you wish your event to considered for the column please
contact our editor by the 25th of the month prior to the event, although
note that last minute events can be added on occasions. If you are an unsigned
band / relatively unknown comedian or artist please try and submit a showreel
or demo CD to the postal address below as it helps to decide which listings
to include etc